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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. march — the month
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bass — low music
  13. board — a committee
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. march — the month
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. march — music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mine — for digging
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — the fish
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com